Let's Try Something

I never blog here anymore because of Facebook and my running blog. But I have this idea called "The Idea Bag" where I keep a list of cool ideas. Here are two I've encountered recently:

• Zipf's Law
• Dirichlet Drawer Principle

It might be cool to keep a blog about ideas. I like the title "Dr. Steve's Idea Bag." Another blog?

I'm Proud of Barack Obama

I've been neglecting this blog. Running and Facebook are to blame. But I had a thought I wanted to put here.

I sometimes feel the need to remind my progressive friends that Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. They know this, of course, but they don't fully understand the two noun phrases in that central truth.

1. President. A president is, by design, not a king. He or she cannot, by virtue of office, impose his or her will on others. We have this check and balance thing going on, and the President has to work with all kinds of interests--including evil corporate ones--to get things done in this country. One of the things that made this guy perfect for the job is his ability to work with lots of different kinds of people he disagrees with. Tune out the nut jobs who say he isn't doing this, because he is.
   
2. United States. Despite having lived here their entire lives, some progressives have not caught on to the fact that our country is basically a giant corporation. The huge holding company of a series of giant corporations, actually. Or perhaps they do realize this, but they think that this is somehow easily changed by being elected President (see #1 above). Just like Coca-Cola or McDonalds (or General Dynamics or Boeing, etc.), the US of A is in all kinds of business sectors including economic, military, and world domination. To put it bluntly, this is the United States. Deal with it.
   

I could write more about this and revise the points above to make them make sense, but I don't care so much about it.

I'm going out for a run...

Purple iPod

Okay, so this Facebook exchange was too funny not to capture here on the blog for posterity. Kath posted the following on her wall today.

Anyone who knows my husband, knows that he is way into music. In fact, he has 3 ipods. Yes, 3 ipods! He has a "car" ipod, a "work" ipod, and a "running" ipod which is a shuffle. Well, on Sunday, I could not find my ipod,... only the earbuds. I became concerned that, perhaps, I had misplaced or lost it. Guess who had it!?! Looks like Steve now needs a 4th ipod (my only ipod) for his "home" ipod. Pretty funny stuff!

So, this was my reply:

Ah, now I know why Kathy joined FB: she wanted a larger audience for poking fun at me. My response:

I have taken
the iPod
that was in
the kitchen

and which
you were probably
planning
to take to the gym

Forgive me
it was so shiny
so melodious
and so purple

With apologies to WCW.
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15535

It's Alive!!!!!!

A small miracle is taking place in the next room.

A few months back, our backup hard drive crashed. It's funny--it was the newer of two large external HDs we have here. I've been dumping hundreds of digital photos there for a couple of years. I purchased it when I got our digital video camera thinking that I'd be making all kinds of movies. So anyway, this thing dies and will not come back to life. All the tricks were tried. All the computer friends were consulted. It even spent an entire week in a ziplock bag in my freezer. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Happily, I had backed up the photos on an internal HD. No lost photos (lots of lost music, but it could be re-ripped or re-purchased). Today it hit us (and by us, I mean Kathy) that we only had one copy of the family photos. It also hit her that we lost on HD in a sudden, gone-forever moment. Backing up those photos suddenly became very important.

So, I purchased a cool Network 1T drive. It works. I backed up the photos while we were out for the afternoon. This evening before heading to bed I decided to give the old dead HD one last try--who knows, it might spin up--before tossing it in the trash. This is not the first time I have done this. It's been plugged into every computer I have access to several times over a period of several weeks. Still in the Ziplock bag, it got plugged into our PC for one last try.

And, click, click, spin.... the thing started working!

So, I quickly started backing it up onto the new drive. Who knows how long it will stay working, but I am not going to TOUCH the thing until I get everything off, or until it stops working, whichever comes first.

Amazing!

Morning Has Broken

Okay, overnight the entire formerly-dead hard drive got copied to the new Stora. That is soooo coool! I was able to recover 80G of previously lost music. I am a happy camper.

Luna's Last Record

Snatched Kathy's iPod for a late-night run/walk, and was reminded that Luna's last album was really, really tasty. They did most of these tracks when I saw their 2nd to last show in Detroit with Jon and Greg in 2005. That was a great show.

OMG, I'm On Facebook!

Imagine the shock of some of my friends, and especially my sister, when I up and joined Facebook. I had many reasons for not joining. Primarily, I was worried about all the time I'd spend Facebooking. I mean, I've got a couple of blogs, my online mixes, and plenty of surfing to attend to, right?

Facebook is like blogging, but with a larger audience that has a shorter attention span. I suppose the math works out in the end.

True to the topic of this blog, I've started a Wednesday Record feature, where I post about my favorite pop records once per week. I thought my first choice, Kraftwerk's Computer World (1981), was clever. So far, my "freinds" don't care for the choice.

I can still be transported by that disc. I have a list of about 10 records to start with.

Blogging About Nothing

I started this blog because I was taking too many turns in a group blog about music. It's been really helpful for me: a diary-like place I can think out loud and write about nothing. My 60 new Facebook Friends don't do this, but it's clear that people share pretty inane stuff over there. It's funny--that is the WHOLE POINT of this blog.

A Mix for Clark

No shindig is half complete
Without that famous polka beat
That's why they invite me, I suppose.

1. A Night On Earth / Brave Combo
2. Innocent When You Dream (78) / Tom Waits
3. Nantes / Beirut
4. Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands / Richard Thompson
5. Fortress / Pinback
6. Wheels / The Shaggs
7. Just Like A Drummer / The Wave Pictures
8. When Harpo Played His Harp / Jonathan Richman
9. Gypsy Queens / Balkan Beat Box
10. Strange Overtones / Brian Eno & David Byrne
11. Purple / Ken Nordine
12. Start Wearing Purple / Gogol Bordello

Clark came by today wearing purple and talking gypsy punk. How can you have a bad day when that happens? So this is an occasion mix, loosely based on a short music conversation about polka, gypsy punk, and purple dress shirts. I love it that Ken Nordine makes an appearance here.

It's also fun when I can put The Shaggs on a mix. Oh, I love The Shaggs!

My buddy Bill didn't have a good day today, so this mix goes out to him, too. And he's the one who hipped me to Gogol Bordello in the first place! Oh, and he also introduced The Wave Pictures.

I didn't know what a purple nurple was when I titled this mix. But it's a drink, too, so mix yourself one of these and spin my new mix! (And keep your hands to yourself!)

Purple Nurple Recipe

• 1 oz Malibu® coconut rum
• 1 oz triple sec
• 1/2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
• 2 oz cranberry juice

Off to Yellowstone

Tomorrow's the day. We get on a plane and head to Park City. On Sunday, we head north--two Harleys and a Cayenne, 2 kids, 4 adults. Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Lava Hot Springs. Should be fun.

The Death of Cracker Nation

Maureen Dowd hit the nail on the head this morning. There have been signs these past few months that the downtrodden souls of Cracker Nation (Bill Maher coined the term recently) have gone from "wanting their country back," to really laying it on the line: we don't and won't accept your Black president.

Hopefully it only takes a few years to watch this ugliness die a painful death under the glare of the camera lights.

When it gets depressing, realize this: the more headlines that Limbaugh, Beck, and Wilsons of the world get, the faster this fire burns itself out.

09/11/09

Eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, I reflect back on that day. I was sitting in a political fundraising meeting at a local restaurant with my 2-month old sleeping in a baby carrier under the table when the attacks happened. I drove home oblivious to what had happened until my mother-in-law called me and told me to turn on the television. I immediately called my parents, who were living in the Netherlands while my dad served as a visiting professor at the law school of the University of Utrecht.

We should all pause and reflect on that day. I read something interesting today by someone who refuses to call 9/11 a tragedy. It was not a tragedy, he argued... it was an atrocity.

Below is a re-post of something I wrote this year.

My Dad's Freaky Terrorism Bag

Now, there's an attention-grabbing title for you!

Gotta work my way into this one. A while back, I wrote about how conferences make me really depressed. I often read the entire enterprise as a text when I go to these things--right down to the nylon name badge holders, bags, rubber chicken meals and freebies from vendors. My reading of the way these items weave themselves into a narrative centered on the theme of the professional gathering is really depressing: none of us is interesting, nothing we are doing here matters, and we are all going to die. Every piece of conference ephemera--note pads, conference programs, little pens, lapel mics, plastic pitchers of water--the whole depressing thing reminds me of our insignificance and mortality. The worst part is listening to people sharing ideas after sessions, getting excited about what it all means. (I'm a teacher for heaven's sake--that kind of talk is supposed to be uplifting for me; instead, I think back to Winston Smith chatting with Julia about the updates to Newspeak after a Party meeting). I've stopped sharing this observation with my fellow conference-goers, as they invariably find it off putting, annoying, or just depressing.

So... my Dad's bag. You see, my Dad was an Assistant Attorney General in a previous administration--he ran the largest department of the DOJ (Criminal Division--now you can narrow it down and figure out who he is if you're good at Googling, and you'll nail it if you are good at timelines based on historical events). So, I am sure my Dad wasn't depressed or philosophical at the "Strengthening the Public Safety Response to Terrorism" conference in 1998 while he was AAG. But check out the graphic on the bag! I mean, whoa!

Three years before 9/11, but five years after the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, some graphic designer plopped this hastily-constructed design on a nylon bag. Not only is the bullseye on the right building--it's eerily in the right spot. Part of me wonders if that guy or gal remembered making that design on the morning of September 11, 2001. It's just freaky.

Well, my Dad still uses this bag. He did agree that the image on the bag is a little ominous. But so far I am the only one who is really weirded out by it.

[My guess is that the phrase "freaky terrorism bag" might get picked up by some Homeland Security web worm--if you're reading this, please read the whole thing and realize there isn't anything dangerous here!]

Good Points

From this good article.

• Regardless of your running pace, run with a fast cadence of 180 to 190 steps per minute or higher.
• Run with an upright posture and a slight forward lean.
• Strike the ground below your hips and not in front of them to reduce braking. (Wearing lightweight, low-to-the-ground shoes with minimal midsole cushioning helps reinforce this stride.)
• Strike the ground at the midfoot, not the heel or the toes -- the actual impact area will vary based on body type -- and allow your heel to naturally settle to the ground.
• When starting a new stride, develop the habit of picking up your leg instead of pushing off the ground.
• Use a compact and fluid arm swing, keeping your elbows bent at an acute angle and your hands close to your chest.
• Keep your head upright and steady and your eyes looking forward.
• Be "present in the moment" to allow yourself to concentrate on your stride but stay relaxed and don't overanalyze. The more you adhere to good form, the quicker it will become second nature.
• Consider getting custom insoles to further your gait enhancement.
• Land at the midfoot and allow the heel to settle to the ground.
• Instead of rolling through a stride and pushing off, lift your leg to begin a stride.
• A key to natural running form is high cadence with short strides, regardless of pace.

Singles Going Steady

One of my vinyl treasures, this is a great post-punk collection from The Buzzcocks. I can still remember spinning this for the first time on my JVC LE-600 turntable! Last night we were watching Entourage, and "Why Can't I Touch It?" was the outro in a very appropriate and excellent way. Bravo! Or, HBO, I should say.

Okay, so this is on LOUD right now, and Owen rode his scooter up to the window to say "I love this song... it's from Shrek, remember?" Yes, there was a cover of "Ever Fallen In Love?" in that movie. I guess I never realized that lots of Buzzcocks songs are questions.

Fat Bob!

Made my choice for the Yellowstone trip. Goin' with a red Fat Bob:





After two months of doing two jobs, this will be a great release. And this time my Dad and I will have the whole family along! Awesome!

Heya Todd!

My buddy Todd left two comments here and I've just now seen them. I am also downloading the Radiohead song he told me about. Now I am listening to it. It is good.

My Baby Got Stole... By A Bear Holding A Shark!!


Should have bought that t-shirt before they discontinued it.

I am tired. I brought alcohol back from Canada. Kokanee Glacier beer from BC, and Alexander Keith's IPA from Nova Scotia!

A Chris Isaac song came on after Radiohead, and that is just wrong.

Joshua's New MIxes

Playlist

1. Just For Today / The Brian Joenstown Massacre
2. Photograph Taken / Pinback
3. Lazybones / Soul Coughing
4. Me and My 24 / John Vanderslice
5. Crazy Mama / J.J. Cale
6. The Weather / Built To Spill
7. I'm Still Your Fag / Broken Social Scene
8. 4 Minute Warning / Radiohead
9. Melpomene / Kashmir

Playlist

1. Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2 / Neutral Milk Hotel
2. Surfing the Warm Industry / Kashmir
3. I / Andrew Bird
4. Amsterdam / Peter Bjorn and John
5. Stars / The Brian Jonestown Massacre
6. Asleep at the Wheel / Arcade Fire
7. Along The Road / Radical Face
8. pretty mary K / Elliott Smith
9. The First Day Of My Life / Bright Eyes
10. Lover's Spit / Feist

Ontario Chair Academy Mixtape

Okay, when I get home I want to make an 8tracks mixtape for my new Canadian pals. As I write my IPDP, I am listening to my Radio Songs mix, which is really great if I do say so myself.

It's got to relate to the theme of the Chair Academy, and there need to be Canadian artists. Themes: leadership, conflict resolution, work styles, effective teams, personality styles, and emotional intelligence. Ideas so far:

• Looking for a Leader, Neil Young (canadian)
• Nice Work if You Can Get It, Sarah Vaughn
• Communication Breakdown, Led Zeppelin (Jason mentioned this one)
  

Canadian Conference

So, I am up in Canada for a conference, eh?

Ten years ago, I spent a week in Hamilton, ON at hockey camp with Frog. I was recently divorced, and it was a fun thing to do. Frog's daughter watched Murphy. I remember Frog hurt his back and we needed to go to a Canadian chiropractor. It was mildly depressing, for obvious reasons. I'm a bit down up here now; I miss my family, and I really don't like traveling for work. I am looking forward to getting home. I need to mow the lawn. I miss my kids and my wife. I'm worried about my Dad. I miss my Mom a lot--had a really odd dream about her. I should write that down before I forget it.

In my dream, I am riding a train of some kind to Grand Rapids. I stop at a train station, but it isn't a train station. There are little stores in there like the subway stations in Sweden. I go into a store and a young woman recognizes me. Then she says it was my Mom that she remembered. This is the odd thing about this dream. I have never recalled a memory inside a dream. In this dream, I recall a memory about my mother working in this place to get away from her ex-husband. This memory isn't real, mind you, but in the dream it is. The memory comes back to me as I speak with this y0ung woman, who is a cashier. I remember that my mother took this job far away from her home in Metamora, that she drove all the way to Grand Rapids to work in this store, just to get away from Rob. Again, this memory comes back to me in the dream--it felt just the way it feels when you remember something. The only difference is that it happened in a dream and the memory wasn't true. The young woman shows me a deformed piece of candy attached to the register. My mother put it there, she says--my Mom collected things like that. This isn't true either, but in the dream it feels real.

Canada is a cool country.

I am in Innisfil, ON near the city of Barrie. We are right on Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County. A huge battle here is raging over Area 41, a proposed landfill site.

I thought Canadians sent all their trash to Michigan!

Random Observations

• Canadians say "PRO-cess" instead of PRAH-cess. I never noticed how often I say the word "process" until I was in a room full of people who pronounce the word differently.
• Canada is just like Michigan, except for the following: Canadians drive cars with better gas mileage, they recycle more, their cities are cleaner, and they don't act like they are better than everyone else.
  
• There are more Tim Horton's stores in Canada than there are Starbuck's stores in the US, which is saying something.

I bought a pair of Reebok running shorts at the outlet mall today. My left lower leg still hurts quite a bit, so I am giving it a rest--I only ran once (3mi) and I am waiting until it feels better.

James Brown Is Dead

Time ain't gonna cure you honey
Time don't give a shit.
Time ain't gonna cure you honey
Time's just gonna hit on you.
--The Kills

You should probably take it easy on me
'Cause I don't know how to take it.
--The Dead Weather

We got Kathy some new iPod headphones today, and that seemed like a good enough reason to make her a mix. I think I went overboard and put in a few tracks she won't like so much. Well, that's why there's a skip button on those things, eh? I've been listening to a lot of Luna lately, but none of that stuff fit here. Too bad--Kathy likes them. Anyway, check it out:



James Brown Is Dead
Playlist

1. I Love Techno / Soulwax
   
2. Ready for the Floor / Hot Chip
   
3. Beep It / Cornelius
   
4. Superheroes / Daft Punk
   
5. Out of My Addiction to Love / Towa Tei
   
6. One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Barbie Dolls / Pizzicato Five
   
7. Hey Ya! / Outkast
   
8. Gamma Ray / Beck
   
9. I Cut Like A Buffalo / The Dead Weather*
   
10. Tape Song / The Kills*
    
11. Hot Mess / Sam Sparro
    
12. Paper Planes / M.I.A

The title comes from something said in the Soulwax track.

*Todd took me to see both of these acts live in Detroit.

Running Vlog: Interval Timer

It seemed like time to do another vlog. There must be a better term on the horizon for a video-web-log. I thought the nature of this topic--how to use an interval timer--was pretty visual, so I decided to do it. I also think that it might actually help someone. I got the idea when I was showing Bill how to use the darn thing. It took me a few weeks to figure it out, and I am confident that I can get what I know across in about 4 minutes.

Route Planning for Yellowstone

The Scenic Route
4:44 (239 mi)

• I-84 to 167 N
• 167 to 39 W
• 39 to 16 N
• 16 to 30 W
• 30 to Lava Hot Springs, ID
  

The Direct Route
2:54 (186 mi)

• I-84 N to I-15
• I-15 to ID 30
• ID 30 E to Lava Hot Springs, ID

I love planning the routes for these motorcycle trips. It's close to as much fun as taking them. I love maps, I love planning, and this is fun.

Here are some preliminary thoughts on the first day. I think this will be the only day that we have separate motorcycle and car routes.